Recurrent events analysis in the presence of time-dependent covariates and dependent censoring

Summary.  Recurrent events models have had considerable attention recently. The majority of approaches show the consistency of parameter estimates under the assumption that censoring is independent of the recurrent events process of interest conditional on the covariates that are included in the model. We provide an overview of available recurrent events analysis methods and present an inverse probability of censoring weighted estimator for the regression parameters in the Andersen–Gill model that is commonly used for recurrent event analysis. This estimator remains consistent under informative censoring if the censoring mechanism is estimated consistently, and it generally improves on the naïve estimator for the Andersen–Gill model in the case of independent censoring. We illustrate the bias of ad hoc estimators in the presence of informative censoring with a simulation study and provide a data analysis of recurrent lung exacerbations in cystic fibrosis patients when some patients are lost to follow-up.     

Economic Freedom and Economic Growth in South East Europe

Economic freedom, understood as absence of barriers for business entry, business operations and business exit, is a source of economic development. Its impact is indirect: through institutions framework creation and environment that encourages economic development. Primarily, economic freedoms are a reflection of institutional arrangement, which makes business operations and the realization of business ideas easier for entrepreneurs and managers, who are two extremely important groups for economic development. The aim of the paper is to present empirical analysis of interrelation between economic freedom and economic development, expressed through several indicators, such as gross domestic product, income per capita, foreign direct investment per capita.     

Virtual Landscapes of Memory

This paper will focus on two World Wide Web projects: the virtual nation of Cyber- Yugoslavia (www.juga.com) and the homepage of former Yugoslav president Tito (www.titoville.com). Both projects problematize our understanding of nationhood and political leadership through skilful manipulation of the structural characteristics of the medium. The virtual, performative and transitory nature of both the nation and the state will be exemplifed by Cyber-Yugoslavia - a virtual nation- building endeavour conjured up by Belgrade expatriate playwright Zoran Bacic. The changing character of political leadership will be discussed against the backdrop of Tito's homepage, which archives numerous image and sound files documenting the life of the former Yugoslav president. The two projects share at least three common elements: their genre is parody; their subject matter is repressed collective memory; and they reflect the anxieties of the postmodern condition in their treatment of its most emblematic medium, the Internet. The repressed collective memory encapsulated in these projects is that of South-Slav unity, as an alternative to the now dominant particularist ethno-nationalisms of the Yugoslav successor states. The idea of unity of the South Slavs, which gained popularity in the nineteenth century under the Habsburg yoke, was institutionally sanctioned in two twentieth-century Yugoslav states: the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-41), called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1918 to 1929, and the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (1945- 91), called People's Federative Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1963. The first was made possible by the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War One. Its nation-building rhetoric, underpinning the politics of centralization and Serbian hegemony, rested on a view of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as "three tribes' of the same nation. The second Yugoslavia, which grew out of the national liberation movement in World War Two, was founded on federalist principles and a nation-building rhetoric of "brotherhood and unity', i.e. national equality for all the member nations. During the period of existence of both Yugoslav states, a tendency against political unification and in favour of the formation of independent national states co-existed with the dominant nation- building narratives. Tito's model in particular, which may be interpreted as a compromise between the two opposing tendencies, left a deep cultural legacy of ethnic tolerance and was internalized by segments of the post-World War Two generations in former Yugoslavia as an important part of their national identity. Linda Hutcheon has explained the popularity of parody in periods of ideological instability as an impulse for challenging the established norms. I would like to suggest that the technological advances and the introduction of the new mass media also encouraged the proliferation of parody as one of the modes of positive self- reference with a universal appeal akin to Bakhtinian "carnival laughter'. The Internet in particular seems to foster the more positive, universalizing aspects of what Hutcheon calls "parodic ethos'.     

What Works for Whom,How and under What Circumstances? Testing Moderated Mediation of Intervention Effects on Externalizing Behavior in Children

In this study, we investigate whether changes in child social cognitive functioning and parenting are the mechanisms through which an individually delivered real‐world child intervention, Stay Cool Kids, aimed at preventing externalizing problem behavior in high‐risk elementary school children, induces changes in child behavior. Moreover, we tested whether mediation was moderated by child characteristics (gender and personality). The sample consisted of 264 fourth‐grade children displaying externalizing behavior (TRF t‐score > 60). Forty‐eight schools were randomly assigned to the intervention or no‐intervention control condition. The results of mediation analyses provided evidence for child positive self‐perception and maternal involvement as working mechanisms of the intervention. Child personality factor extraversion moderated the mediating effect of involvement whereas no moderated mediation was found for gender. Working mechanisms of the intervention differ for children with different personality characteristiscs.     

Discourse and the containment of disability in higher education: an institutional analysis

We use a social model of disability to examine disability discourse at a regional university in the mid-western United States. Using an institutional unit of analysis and several different information sources (e.g. interviews, federal regulations, syllabus texts, surveys), we illustrate the ways in which disability-as-difference is governed by an architecture of containment at the university.     

The Failure of Theory to Predict the Way Public Sector Organisation Responds to its Organisational Environment and the Need for a Mosaic-View of Organisational Theory

What does theory predict about the way government size and structure adapts to changes in government’s organisational environment (particularly to uncertainty and complexity)? In this paper, we review the theory and evidence from the literature about the way government size adjusts to such changes -- particularly to changes in macroeconomic fundamentals like gross national product (GDP). We find that the traditional theories from the organisational theory literature—like the contingency-based view, resource-based view and the rational choice view -- fail to provide global explanations for much of the variation we see in the world around us. Instead, theorists need to adopt a “mosaic view” of organisational theory -- accepting that different theories may explain the way public sector size and structure responds to the uncertainty and variability in its (macroeconomic) organisational environment. We also provide several empirical hypotheses to test such a mosaic-view.     

The Labour Market in Macedonia: A Labour Demand Analysis

Abstract. This paper examines the labour market in Macedonia, a country with the highest unemployment rate in Europe. I describe labour market institutions and policies during the transition. I also examine job creation and job destruction using firm‐level data and I estimate short‐term and long‐term elasticities of the labour demand. The analysis shows that there are regulatory barriers to the labour market flexibility. I can also conclude that the privatization of socially owned enterprises has failed to promote job creation. Nevertheless, labour market problems seem to stem from factors other than substantial sluggishness of firms in adjusting employment to variations in wages.     

Ethnic entrepreneurship and the question of agency: the role of different forms of capital,and the relevance of social class

The literature on ethnic entrepreneurship has focused on structural factors, group characteristics or a combination of both when explaining the entry and/or success of different ethnic groups in/to self-employment. While the active involvement of individuals has often been noted, agency has been under-theorised, and frequently conflated with what are considered as ‘cultural’ factors. This article explores the question of agency in ethnic entrepreneurship by looking at how entrepreneurs access and mobilise different kinds of resources. Using a forms-of-capital approach, the article draws on qualitative data from the U.K. and Spain, and looks at how entrepreneurs mobilise cultural, social and economic resources in structural contexts that include constraining as well as enabling features. Our findings show that the entrepreneurs are active agents who play an important role in shaping ethnic businesses. However, their agency varies significantly depending on the extent to which entrepreneurs have access to different kinds of resources, which is closely linked to their socioeconomic position. The article contributes to the literature through its direct engagement with the question of agency in ethnic entrepreneurship, and by highlighting the relevance of social class in entrepreneurial processes.     

Patient-perceived effectiveness and impact on quality of life of solifenacin in combination with an α-blocker in men with overactive bladder in Sweden: a non-interventional study

Treating male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) by targeting the prostate would have limited effect on overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. This study assessed perceived symptoms and quality of life (QoL) of male patients with OAB treated with an α-blocker plus solifenacin in daily clinical practice. Male patients aged ≥40 years were included after the decision was made to initiate treatment with an α-blocker for LUTS plus solifenacin for OAB symptoms. The primary endpoint was change in patient perception of bladder condition (PPBC) questionnaire score over 6?months. Other assessments included the OAB-questionnaire short form (OAB-q SF) and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Interpretation of the study data was hindered by not meeting the enrollment target and a high dropout rate. In 36 evaluable patients, mean (SD) PPBC score improved from 4.3 (0.93) at baseline (“moderate” to “severe” problems) to 3.5 (1.06) at month 6 (“minor” to “moderate” problems). OAB-q SF scores and total IPSS also improved. In this patient population, treatment with solifenacin and an α-blocker resulted in improvements in male patient perception of their LUTS and QoL, although the results should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of patients with complete data.